


not scared to say those words, with you i'm safe

by artsyleo



Series: comfortember 2020 [27]
Category: EastEnders (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Ben Mitchell Loves Callum "Halfway" Highway, Boys In Love, Domestic Fluff, Emotional, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, No Plot/Plotless, or very little plot im tired lmao sorry
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-28
Updated: 2020-11-28
Packaged: 2021-03-10 05:28:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 945
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27749038
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/artsyleo/pseuds/artsyleo
Summary: comfortember prompt day 27 - parkpretty much plotless fluff of callum getting comforted by his bf bc he's overwhelmed
Relationships: Callum "Halfway" Highway/Ben Mitchell
Series: comfortember 2020 [27]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1995826
Comments: 8
Kudos: 51





	not scared to say those words, with you i'm safe

Callum’s convinced at this point that Ben must be a mind reader. The minute he walks through the front door, head heavy and mind full of the long shift he’s had, Ben takes him in his arms, soothes over the hard edges with a softness that’s almost exclusive to him. It makes him feel undeniably special, that he’s just about the only one that gets to see this other side of Ben, this side that he’s not comfortable showing to anyone else. The fact that the other man is comfortable enough around him makes his heart race. 

The other man holds him, pushes so that Callum nestles his head into the little space between Ben’s head and his shoulder, and nestles his hand in the strands of Callum’s hair, sweeping through them and over his head gently. They sway back and forth just a little, almost dancing to imaginary music and it’s calming, the way that the feeling of Ben there just overtakes anything else. Ben starts to hum after a minute or so and Callum’s sure he’s doing it absent-mindedly, but it’s definitely the cutest thing he does- Callum noticed it a couple weeks ago, and now the sound just has this  _ effect  _ on him, the way it reaches his ears and soothes him, right through to his soul. The whole scene- it’s just soft and pure and careful, something that even just a couple of months or so ago he thought he’d never get the chance to have again. 

He doesn’t have the energy to think about that right now, as much as most of the time it’s all that plays through his mind. Somehow, with Ben’s warmth against him and his gentle voice in his ear, it’s easier to forget for a while. 

“Was gonna take Lexi round to the big park in a minute,” Ben says quietly, his voice gentle. “If you wanted to come. No pressure.” 

Right now the thought of being outside, spending time away from the house that feels slightly like it’s suffocating him, just with Ben and Lexi makes warmth run through his blood and his mind, calming the thoughts that are still racing through his head. 

“Yeah, that sounds nice,” Callum turns his head to say, so that it’s right in Ben’s ear. The other man nods, but doesn’t let Callum go just yet, content to hold him a while longer. 

-

Once Ben’s content that Lexi’s found her own fun playing on the swings and with a couple of the other kids that are hung around the park, he wanders back over to the bench that Callum’s perched on, just outside of the park but still in view of where Lexi is. He’s bundled up in his winter coat, now that it’s too cold for the bomber jacket that’s become his favourite since he got it. There’s a light blush across his cheeks from where the cold bites at his skin just slightly, and the wind catches in his hair, ruffling it from where the gel is starting to wear away. He looks adorable, and there’s no question about it. He’s staring right ahead of him, until Ben comes up close.

“Hey,” Ben says, voice gentle. “You okay?” 

Callum nods a little, then sighs. “Bloody cold over here.” 

Ben chuckles at that, settling in beside him on the cold wood of the bench. Callum shuffles close to him straight away, pressing so that they’re shoulder to shoulder as if even any space between them is a travesty. “You sure you’re okay? You’re quiet.” 

Callum looks away a minute, eyes taking in the rest of the playground. “Yeah, yeah. Just- long shift. Things getting to me, I think.” 

Ben just nods, taking a hand out of his pocket to shove it in Callum’s so that he can wrap their fingers together. “You wanna talk about it?” 

“Not really,” he says, then turns to look at Ben. “Is that okay?” 

“Of course, darlin’,” he smiles. 

The word seeps warmth into the air between them, makes everything run hotter and more cosy. It’s a pet name that Ben only uses on a rare occasion, but it’s one of Callum’s favourites because of it. It’s rare, only said when it’s really necessary, and so when Ben does say it he feels downright  _ adored _ . 

It makes a blush climb across his cheeks, covering the frost-bitten red and trailing all the way up to the tips of his ears. He doesn’t say anything else, just leans further into Ben so that his head falls onto the other man’s shoulder. Their hands stay intertwined together, nestled in Callum’s coat pocket where it’s warmer. They’re quiet for a little while, content to let the sounds of the kids in the playground fill the air, let it overtake everything. It’s soothing, a soft balm to the rest of Callum’s day and somehow exactly what he’d needed even though he hadn’t known it himself before Ben had said. There’s only three words running around his head, three words that he can’t keep to himself and he doesn’t want to any more. 

“I love you,” he says, soft and careful and right into Ben’s ear, because he needs him to hear it and everything else that’s left unsaid. Ben’s mouth pulls up in a smile, and he’s got it. 

“I love you too, darlin’,” he replies, turning his head just a little so that he can press their lips together carefully, lingering there for a minute before pulling away, and turning back to face the rest of the playground. They’re content to just exist together for a while, until life comes calling again, and they carry on. 

**Author's Note:**

> tbh i honestly wrote this a little bit for myself bc ive been getting overwhelmed this week so this was like nice for me lmao even though it's not the best and im very tired writing this heh, i hope it makes some coherent sense  
> comments and kudos mean the world to me, hope you enjoyed and lots of love to u  
> leo x (my tumblr is artsy-highway, come say hi!)


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